FTO Basics
What is a Freedom to Operate search — and when do you need one?
A plain-English guide to FTO: what it answers, what it doesn't, and the moments in a product's life when it pays for itself.
· 6 min read
Our analysts write practical guides on patent searching, FTO strategy and IP risk for founders, engineers and in-house counsel.
A plain-English guide to FTO: what it answers, what it doesn't, and the moments in a product's life when it pays for itself.
· 6 min read
Three searches, three different questions. Picking the wrong one is the most common — and most expensive — mistake we see.
· 5 min read
Keyword searching alone misses relevant patents. Here is how analysts combine classification codes, citation chasing and full-text queries.
· 7 min read
The claims — not the title or abstract — define what a patent covers. Here is how to read them without a law degree.
· 6 min read
What to expect from any search provider before you upload a confidential technical disclosure.
· 5 min read